Kathmandu, March 1

Some of the crucial bills required to institutionalise federalism will not be signed into law anytime soon, as the Parliament is wrapping up its winter session in mid-March without ratifying legislative documents long-demanded by provinces.

Some of the bills demanded by provinces are Federal Civil Servant Bill, Peace and Security Bill, Provincial Public Commission Bill and Nepal Police and Provincial Police Bill. Provinces are pushing for early passage of these bills as they need these legislative documents to frame their own laws on civil servants, peace and security, public commission and police.

Delay in introduction of these laws will hamper the works of provincial as well as local governments.

These bills have already been registered in the Federal Parliament and lawmakers are reviewing them. “But they will not be endorsed by this session of the Parliament as we need more time to discuss the contents of these crucial bills,” Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe told THT.

The Federal Parliament, according to Tumbahamphe, was planning to wrap up the winter session on March 3.

“But we have decided to extend it till mid-March on the government’s special request,” said Tumbahamphe.

The government has asked the Parliament to extend the winter session to expedite the process of endorsing two bills and amending a law before the Investment Summit scheduled for March 29 to 30.

The government is pushing to sign Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Bill and Public Private Partnership and Investment Bill into laws and amend the Special Economic Zone Act before the Investment Summit, in a bid to draw foreign investors’ attention towards Nepal.

“No bill or law, other than these, will go through the House of Representatives henceforth,” Tumbahamphe said.

This means Nepal Citizenship Bill, which was registered during previous session of the Parliament, will not be cleared from the House of Representatives in this session as well. The content of the bill is being discussed in the parliamentary State Affairs and Good Governance Committee.

Earlier, Province 2 Assembly members had requested the Parliament to pass the bill immediately, stating children of citizens by birth and children of Nepali mothers married to foreign men living in Nepal have not been able to get citizenship due to non-enactment of the new citizenship law.  Lack of the citizenship law, according to assembly members, has also barred thousands from enrolling themselves in schools and colleges and landing jobs.

The winter session of the Parliament opened on December 26. It has endorsed two bills on Amendment of Some Nepal Acts, which paved the way for modification of 165 laws whose provisions contradicted the constitution. Deputy Spokesperson of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry Hum Bahadur KC said the bills would be signed into laws by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari before March 5.

The winter session of the Parliament has also passed the National Medical Education Bill, which contains controversial provisions condemned by medial education reformist Dr Govinda KC.